Sporting Trips of a Subaltern 



No time was wasted. Hastily covering the 

 dead lioness with branches to screen her from the 

 prying eyes of the uhiquitous vultures, we started 

 off again on the two remaining tracks, our horse- 

 men falling back again to some 500 yards in 

 rear. Scarcely half an hour had elapsed before 

 we saw the footprints with a little hole in the 

 front of each toe, which told us that their claws 

 were out ; also showing that our game was very 

 close, had heard us, and was inclined to show fight. 

 The country was here considerably more open. 

 Spots went at a sort of jog-trot along the tracks 

 with his eyes on the ground, I keeping abreast of 

 him, looking out for the lions and with rifle ready. 



The bushes gradually ceased altogether and 

 an open plain stretched ahead ; on the extreme 

 edge of it was very dense bush, and when 

 some 300 yards from it, I distinctly saw a 

 great yellow form moving on the far side. A 

 whistle brought up the horsemen, and they 

 galloped on to the plain, opening out mean- 

 while, and giving the thicket a wide berth; 

 then followed shouts from the men and a terrific 

 roaring, from which I surmised that the lions 

 were chasing my sportsmen on the plain. How- 

 ever, I knew that they were well mounted and 

 the lions had dined heavily, so I didn't anticipate 

 any casualties, and thought the great cats would 

 soon get bored, and would then probably head 



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